King Backs Legislation to Promote Fair Dairy Pricing for Farmers

The Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act would direct the USDA to hold hearings that would give producers and farmers a say in milk pricing

BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) is cosponsoring bipartisan legislation that would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to begin holding Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) hearings by this summer, to give milk producers a greater voice in dairy pricing. These hearings would reevaluate how the price of Class I (or fluid) milk is calculated and pave the way for important changes to better support the dairy industry. Class I, or fluid milk, is milk that is sold directly to consumers for drinking and typically drives the highest prices for dairy farmers.

“Maine’s dairy farmers are critical parts of communities across our state, driving our

economy and creating nutritious, high-quality products,” said Senator King. “However, an unnecessarily complicated pricing formula, changes included in the 2018 Farm Bill, and the effects of an unprecedented pandemic have resulted in the loss of significant revenues for these farms over the last two years. It’s clear that we need to reevaluate how we price milk, and dairy farmers deserve a seat at the table in that discussion – which is why I’m cosponsoring the Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act. I’m hopeful that this bipartisan legislation will advance through Congress and ensure our dairy farmers are being fairly compensated for their work.”

“The Maine Dairy Industry Association would like to thank Senator King for his support of the Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act,” said Heath Miller, Treasurer of the Dairy Farmer Industry Association. “Our industry has seen a considerable change in the way milk is utilized, this act will allow industry stakeholders to have a voice in bringing the Federal Milk Marketing Order in line with these changes"

The current milk pricing system is an extremely complex pricing model that too often underpays the dairy farmers that drive the industry, resulting in significant losses for dairy farmers over the last two years and threatening the future of many independently-owned farms. The Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act, which is also cosponsored by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to initiate the process of holding Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) hearings within six months. The hearings would provide an opportunity for producers, who understand the dynamics of milk pricing firsthand, to weigh in on the proposals and create a system that better reflects the work, costs, and needs of producers.

Senator King has been a strong advocate for Maine’s dairy industry. Last year, he co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to combat the unfair practice of mislabeling non-dairy products using dairy names, and introduced a resolution recognizing June 2021 as “National Dairy Month.” In May 2021, he joined his colleagues in sending a letter to USDA urging additional COVID-19 relief to dairy farmers. Recently, Senator King joined the Maine Delegation in urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide federal support to the 14 Maine organic dairy farms who were notified that their contracts will not be renewed by Horizon Organic.